Bottom Job

[Ralph Masters]

Ed,
Once the lock nut is backed off I turn the packing gland about an eighth of a turn, just to snug.  After I tighten the lock nut I turn the shaft over 5 or 6 times and then check with a paper towel for leak.  The cheap brown paper towels work well for this, they show a drop of water very nicely.

Ralph

[efhughes3]

Ed,
Once the lock nut is backed off I turn the packing gland about an eighth of a turn, just to snug.  After I tighten the lock nut I turn the shaft over 5 or 6 times and then check with a paper towel for leak.  The cheap brown paper towels work well for this, they show a drop of water very nicely.

Ralph

Thanks, that's pretty much what I did a couple of weeks ago.

[Ralph Masters]

I can go about two months with out much trouble.  A friend on mine down here in the same marina put in the GFO packing and has not had to muck with it in about a year.  Looking forward to that.

[Ron Hill]

Ed : I've written this up before, but worth repeating:

The smaller the adjustment the better (because you don't want to back up!) - it's better to make 2 small 1/16 turn  adjustments than one large 1/8 adjustment.  Then always make sure that the packing gland & locknut are no more than warm to the touch (while the shaft is turning).  You will have to back off if it's so warm you can't keep your hand on it!!   

A thought

[efhughes3]

I backed the locknut off and simply "took the slack" out of the packing nut, probably not even an 1/8th and without any force, and re-tightened. I had a good few cups of water pooled there after the motor down to SD. I knew not to over tighten as heat/friction would be an issue.

[Ralph Masters]

A quick update on the work I had done.  We picked the boat up yesterday afternoon. 
The SIBY uses Interlux Ultra for the bottom, two coats on the bottom and a third at the water line.  So far looks good.  Now wait to see if it holds up better then Kevin's did a few months ago.  I think they changed their prep work because they now do a wet sand on the bottom before painting.
The new exhaust hose is nice.  Seems to be a bit quieter too.  One more item to mark off from the buyers survey.
Replaced the sewer hose with the black green stripe Trident hose.  I had a mixture of two different hoses and was not sure why.  Was some replaced and some not??  How old was the hose and what condidtion was it in??  Now I know and I don't have to worry about a clogged hose.
The through hull for the anchor locker was cracked so it was replaced.
Repacked the stuffing box with GFO gore tex packing.  It ran pretty hot for the first 20 minutes of motoring back to the marina but by time I got through the hour it had cooled don to normal.  Now to just watch it and adjust as needed.
My only dismay is the amount of crud that was left behind.  Everyplace that work was preformed they just left stuff.  Under the v berth all the old sealing caulk from removing the broken fitting was just left in the bilges.  Rings of the old packing left laying in the bilges, old hose clamps for the sewer hose left laying. 
Morla of this story I guess is if you want the job done right, do it your self, because nobody cares about your boat like you do.

Ralph

[Les Luzar]

How hot did it run? and why would it run hot initially?

[Ralph Masters]

It got hot enough where I could not hold my finger on it for a 5 count.  New packing always needs to "run in" a bit.  As the shaft turns it aligns and compresses and relaxes a bit.  The guy at Hoffman's recommends the PSS dripless system but said most older boats would also need to change to a stainless shaft due to wear on the bronze shaft.  He also said the old flax packing that has been in use for more years then we can count is great, if you don't mind adjusting it every now and then.  I'm assuming the packing that was there was from 87, so I just repacked with new.  Now I can figure out how well the GFO holds up and how often I have to muck with it.  The real problem of adjusting is just getting to it.  The clothes storage "tupperwares" the extra blankets, pillows, microwave, mattress all needs to be moved just to get under there.  Then of course 5 minutes later it all needs to go back.
I'll be reporting back as time goes on how well this product preforms.

Ralph

[Les Luzar]

Thanks, yes I did not get the dripless PSS System because I too was told that I would have to change my shaft so I chose to simply repack my stuffing box. So far so good. I have enought project to spend my money on, and the dripless system is too far down the list. It's a want rather than a must do.

[Kevin Henderson]

Sounds Great Ralph
I'm certain Henry will be watching over the new paint job and keeping you updated if anything looks "afoul" .
I swear I'm still cleaning spots from the mess the yard left behind... maybe thats normal,but it seems I had a lot of dirt and debris afterwards as well.  

[Ted Pounds]

Ralph,
That's terrible about leaving the trash behind.    That's the sort of thing that can sink you if it get's clogged in the bilge pump at the wrong time.   

[Ralph Masters]

Saturday is field day, time to titivate the ship.

Ralph

[Ralph Masters]

Just a quick note to follow up on the bottom job.  The diver just did an inspection, it's been back in the water for over three weeks now, and everything looks good.  No bubbles in the paint and no peeling paint.  Interlux Ultra paint.

Ralph